We’re back!
The new studio, whilst not complete, is certainly functional.
So, this ep begins with a bit of a chat regarding what the last 6-8 weeks has entailed.

Then into the meat of it:
An interview with Nick Dika (Product Manager and PR guru for Izotope) about the just released version 4 of their great mastering plugin, Ozone.
If you are interested, they have a fully-functonal 21 day trial version available for download.
Also, make sure you read the pdf on the mastering process.

Then, it’s on to some e-mail, including a lengthy one from Jim Addie about the nature of VU meters, and the benefits of having a fast-attack-fast-release compressor early in your mixdown chain….
This is rather timely, as I have recently read a piece by Mike Stavrou espousing a technique which is almost identical… and which challenges everything I have always believed (and subsequently advised my listeners) regarding dynamics.

Then another e-mail, this time from another Jim, asking about:
a. external plugin processing cards (like the TC Powercore, SSL Duende and UAD-2)
b. third octave pink noise mp3 files, and
c. audio over gigabit ethernet.

And finally, an e-mail from Ron Eastwood asking about USB turntables and cassette decks,
the legal mumbo-jumbo you hear at the end of radio commercials,
plus some tips for me on geography!

So, what’s in store for episode 100?
A promo remix in real time, for Rem Lavictoire.

Yeah yeah yeah, but what about the damned prizes, man? That’s all we’re here for!

Oh yeah, right…. ok.

Well, Peter Baker at Beatbox Music
has been kind enough to donate a copy of the Podcasting Production Toolkit CD.
This is a CD of royalty free music AND sound effects that you can use for polishing up your podcast!

While I will confess to not having heard the CD yet, I have dealt with Peter professionally for over 20 years, and he has always represented some of the finest music production companies around… and I have no reason to suspect that this won’t be an AWESOME collection of sounds to have at your disposal.

And to keep the CD theme going, I have 3 more copies of the Adobe Audition 2.0 Essential Training Guide from Lynda.com to give away as 2nd, 3rd and 4th prizes.

OK, so what do you have to do to win one of these great prizes?

Well, this is where you’re gonna hate me. I’m not going to tell you… just yet.
In order to make this fair, I’m going to hold off posting the details of the competition for 72 hours.
The reason for that is, it will give those on slower internet connections a chance to be involved too.
So, at around midday GMT on Wednesday (25th July 2007), I’ll post the details right here.

March 5, 2006

In episode 4, Bruce talks about (audio dynamics) compression.
What it is, how it works, and where to start if it’s a bit murky for you.
Since I recorded this, I realised that there are some more things to talk about, so let’s just consider episode 4 to be ‘part one’, shall we?